Twin Pines
by Bookreader525
Summary: In ShadowClan territory, there are tons of pine trees, but not any like these. In a small clearing grow two pines, exactly the same in every way. Two kits, twins, were found abandoned under the pines. One pine will grow strong and one will wilt. How can the Clan tell which will be the wilted pine and which the strong one if they both look the same? Idea (c) Grasswing of Wingclan.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Eek! I am so excited for this story. The moment I read the summary, I knew exactly what to do for it. Yes, this story idea is totally (c) Grasswing of Wingclan. I only take credit for the writing. I hope you like it, Grasswing :'D**

**This takes place a while after TLH, but you may recognize some of the characters!**

**-Mossy**

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**Allegiances**

_**ShadowClan**_

_**Leader **_**Tawnystar- **pale tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

_**Deputy **_**Hummingbird- **dark ginger she-cat with a white chest and bright green eyes

_**Medicine Cat **_**Mistcloud- **elderly spiky-furred pale gray she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Volepaw)**

_**Warriors **_**Flamedapple- **mostly ginger tortoiseshell tom with green eyes

**Russetshine- **dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Spikeclaw- **black tom with amber eyes

**Twigpelt- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Comfreyleaf- **light gray she-cat with green eyes

**Stiltfeather- **gray tom with long legs and green eyes **(Apprentice: Sparrowpaw)**

**Tortoisestep- **thick dark brown tom with deep green eyes

**Speckfall- **light brown she-cat with darker brown flecks and amber eyes **(Apprentice: Indigopaw)**

**Fleetwhisker- **swift light brown tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Blizzardpaw)**

**Flickclaw- **pale ginger tom with green eyes

**Lintpelt- **fuzzy gray tom with gray eyes

**Evesky- **black she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Chillgaze- **white tom with amber eyes

**Hivefur- **golden-brown tabby tom with knotted fur and honey-amber eyes

**Archstripe- **dark gray tom with lighter-colored stripe down back, amber eyes

**Smolderfire- **dark gray, cinder-colored she-cat with with black ears, paws, tail-tip, and bright orange eyes

**Lightningstrike- **dull gray, almost black, she-cat with startling yellow eyes

**Crowflight- **young, scruffy black she-cat with pale green eyes

**_Apprentices _****Volepaw- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Sparrowpaw- **dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Indigopaw- **black tom with indigo-blue eyes and long whiskers

**Blizzardpaw- **white she-cat with yellow eyes

_**Queens **_**Appletail- **brown-gray she-cat with pale amber eyes (Mother to Flickclaw's kits: Graykit, a gray she-kit; and Amberkit, a dark gray she-cat with a ginger head)

**Ebonypelt- **black she-cat with green eyes (Mother to Fleetwhisker's kits: Scarkit, a mottled black tom; Ivykit, a tortoiseshell she-kit with white underbelly, chest, and paws; and Owlkit, a dark brown tom with a spotted chest. Adoptive mother to Pinekit, a black tom with pale yellow eyes; and Needlekit, a black tom with pale yellow eyes)

**Auburnnose- **white she-cat with a dark russet muzzle (Expecting Hivefur's kits)

_**Elders **_**Redpatch- **huge black and reddish-brown tom with milky blue eyes

**Ferretclaw- **cream-and-gray tom with green eyes

_**ThunderClan**_

_**Leader **_**Squirrelstar- **dark ginger she-cat with one white paw and green eyes

_**Deputy **_**Beestripe- **pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**_Medicine Cat _****Briarlight- **dark brown she-cat with limp back legs and amber eyes **(Apprentice: Ratpaw)**

_**Warriors **_**Lionblaze- **golden tabby tom with a graying muzzle and amber eyes

**Molefoot- **brown-and-cream tom with amber eyes

**Lilyfern- **dark tabby she-cat with white patches and amber eyes

**Seedspeck- **very pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Dewclaw- **gray tom with amber eyes

**Snowtail- **white tom with amber eyes

**Smokyfur- **gray tom with blue eyes

**Larchfeather- **ginger-and-white tom with green eyes **(Appprentice: Shortpaw)**

**Honeypelt- **creamy golden she-cat with amber eyes

**Stoneheart- **gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**Fogcloud- **silver tabby tom with blue eyes

**Buzzardflight- **pale ginger tom with green eyes

**Shrewfur- **gray she-cat with white paws and blue eyes

**Blackstorm- **black tom with yellow eyes **(Apprentice: Tallpaw)**

**Mossyfire- **tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Goldenblossom- **golden she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Longpaw)**

_**Apprentices **_**Ratpaw- **dark russet-orange tom with amber eyes

**Shortpaw- **short-legged tabby tom with hazy gray eyes

**Tallpaw- **tall ginger she-cat with amber eyes

**Longpaw- **gray she-cat with green eyes

_**Queens **_**Cinderheart- **gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Mother to Lionblaze's kits: Spottedkit, a spotted golden tom; and Willowkit, a soft-furred gray she-kit with big blue eyes)

**Amberear- **pale gray she-cat with white paws, muzzle, right ear, and amber eyes (Mother to Smokyfur's kits: Rockkit, a dark gray tom; Icekit, a white she-kit with gray paws; and Clearkit, a small tortoiseshell she-kit)

**Morningmist- **silver she-cat with yellow eyes (Mother to Blackstorm's kits: Flashkit, a black tom with a white muzzle; and Whitekit, a very pale gray she-kit)

_**Elders **_**Blossomfall- **tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Bumblestripe- **very pale gray tom with black stripes and blue eyes

**Ivypool- **silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

_**WindClan**_

_**Leader **_**Whiskerstar- **light brown tom with amber eyes

_**Deputy **_**Secretwhisper- **silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Thrushpaw)**

_**Medicine Cat**_** Moorfur- **wiry pale brown tom with amber eyes

_**Warriors**_** Ticklefeather- **white she-cat with yellow eyes

**Quickdash- **dark ginger tom with green eyes

**Antleg- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Thistlethorn- **dark brown tom with amber eyes

**Willowbranch- **gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Moonblaze- **tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Mistypaw)**

**Barkstem- **brown tom with green eyes

**Magpiewing- **gray tom with amber eyes

**Tuftpelt- **mottled dark tabby tom with yellow eyes **(Apprentice: Streampaw)**

**Darkblossom- **black she-cat with green eyes

**Pebblefall- **gray tom with darker flecks

**Applesmoke- **light gray-and-brown she-cat

_**Apprentices **_**Thrushpaw- **gray-brown tom with green eyes

**Mistypaw- **black tom with gray eyes

**Streampaw- **gray she-cat with long, flowing whiskers

_**Queens **_**Fernpelt- **dark brown tabby she-kit with green eyes (Mother to Barkstem's kits: Rabbitkit, a ginger tom; and Earthkit, a brown tom)

**Berrytail- **tan she-cat with a black tail and blue eyes (Mother to Magpiewing's kits: Shallowkit, a dark tabby she-kit with white paws; Sweetkit, a tortoiseshell she-kit; and Hiddenkit, a gray tom with white chest and paws)

_**Elders **_**Furzepelt- **gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Boulderfur- **large, pale gray tom with blue eyes

**Twitchfoot- **gray-brown tom with green eyes, retired early due to lame foot

_**RiverClan**_

_**Leader **_**Graystar- **pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes** (Apprentice: Honeypaw)**

_**Deputy **_**Dustclaw- **light brown tom with amber eyes

**_Medicine Cat _****Pouncefoot- **tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**_Warriors _****Streamheart- **brown and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Creektail- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Waterdrop- **blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Beetleflight- **light gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**Jumpleg- **gray tabby tom with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Mountainpaw)**

**Leapfur- **brown tom with green eyes

**Slugpelt- **brown tom with green eyes

**Horseblaze- **golden-brown tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Wingpaw)**

**Toadstoolleap- **brown tom with a white-spotted underbelly and amber eyes

**Brookflow- **silver-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Rustpelt- **reddish tom with amber eyes

**Calmbrook- **light gray tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes

**_Apprentices _****Honeypaw- **friendly golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Mountainpaw- **dark tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Wingpaw- **long-haired black-and-white she-cat

**_Queens _****Hazeleaf- **white she-cat with gray-tipped ears and blue eyes (Mother to Rustpelt's kits: Freekit, a light brown tabby she-kit; and Cloudkit, a soft white she-kit)

**_Elders _****Floodwater- **bluish-gray tom with blue eyes

**Prologue**

_Winds whistled through the pines, creating _a wonderful _whooshing _sound that was music to Hummingbird's ears. The ShadowClan deputy's white teeth glinted in the darkness of the night-fallen forest as she spotted her prey.

Hunting out alone to get away from the constant thrum of the Clan, the ginger female was finding herself much more relaxed now. By the time she had two lizards hanging by their tails from her mouth, as well as a sizable mouse, Hummingbird was just about ready to head back, now missing the voices that were always around her.

She turned tail, paws soundless on the dead orange fallen pine needles. But then a different sound caught her attention; a faint mewl. Hummingbird froze, gently setting down her prey and spinning around, making her way back over the soft ground. Her brighter-than-lightning emerald eyes widened as she glimpsed a dark figure carrying two small kits through the undergrowth. Usually Clan instinct would call for Hummingbird to confront the trespasser, but the queen, who had a sickly tinge to her scent that now painted the area Hummingbird was in, didn't seem likely to steal any food.

Hummingbird's round gaze followed the dark cat as she struggled to carry her two small kits, she was so weak. The queen kept glancing upward every so often, as if she was looking for a tree to shelter under. Finally, after Hummingbird had followed her some distance, the unfamiliar female stopped her stumbling walk under a pair of pine trees.

The orange deputy blinked rapidly, all worries forgotten when she realized where the queen was. The twin pine trees! One of ShadowClan's fairly important landmarks, the Twin Pines were famous for being exactly like twins: growing exactly the same way, even the branches sprouting from their trunks were in the same place. What was the loner going to do there?

The queen dropped one kit beneath one pine tree. It mewled loudly and tried to crawl after her, but she ignored it, placing its sibling beneath the other pine. Then, before she thought anyone could see her, she darted off, to non-Clan territory Hummingbird was sure.

Hummingbird remained still, waiting a few moments until she was sure the queen was gone. Then she padded out to the poor abandoned kits, her ears flattened. ShadowClan had always made fun of ThunderClan for taking in loners. Yet, now, if ShadowClan took in these kits- which how could they not?- it would seem hypocritical.

But Hummingbird didn't care. Prey forgotten, she picked up both kits- two toms- and bounded back to camp, bursting in and going right up to the Clan leader, Tawnystar.

"Hummingbird? What is-" Tawnystar stopped herself, gasping when she saw the two tiny males dangling and struggling in Hummingbird's jaws. "What- where did you-"

"I found them," Hummingbird meowed, setting them down and catching her breath, "under the Twin Pines."

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**Phew! -wipes sweat from brow- That took forever! I typed the allegiances from scratch XD**

**Hope you liked it! R&R!**

**-Mossy**


	2. Moon 1 - Pine

**Thank you for those who reviewed so far. Amberstorm was wondering why cats who are younger than others are in the elders' den, and the older cats aren't. Well, in my version post-TLH and Bramblestar's Storm, I have it that Cinderheart and Lionblaze were about to retire when she had another litter of kits. So, I had him stay as a warrior until their second litter was older. That's why cats like Ivypool and Bumblestripe are already retired, because they didn't have unexpected kits :P**

**Enjoy! I'm really sorry it took forever to update, I had to formulate an idea to introduce our main characters here. Hopefully you will like it!**

**-Mossy**

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_Chapter One - POV - _**P**_i_ne _- Moon 1_

_All he felt was softness. Luxuriously _velvety fur cushioned him from all sides. What this strange stuff was, he had no idea. He tried to move. This resulted in him completely turning over onto his other side. His paw pad touched his chest during this, and he realized that he, too, was soft. Soft like his mother's fur. Mother...

He groaned, his lips unable to form the word. "Mmm-" Why couldn't he speak? Why- there was something in his throat. He tried to clear it, making loud noises that seemed to disturb the softness surrounding him. Finally he outright coughed, letting out a shrill cry of "Mother!"

"It's alright, little one," a female voice soothed him. A long tail stroked his spine, sending comforting chills and shudders through his tiny body. But, just as he was about to drift off again, he realized something and startled so much that he squeaked. His eyes flew open, thoughts swarming his developing mind. Most of them were in the context of _that's not Mother's voice _and _this cat can't be Mother! _

As he took in his surroundings, he realized that this was definitely not the cave where he, Furu; his brother, Nal; and Mother lived. He appeared to be in a den constructed of earthen walls. A couple more glances around told him that he was underground, in some old burrow. For what animal, he did not know. The only other creatures besides cats Mother told him and Nal about were dogs, foxes, and rabbits. Rabbits... he would kill for a rabbit right now. Mother had let him and Nal have a little taste of it even though they weren't weaned yet.

Mother was beautiful, a slim black she-cat with the most astounding pale green eyes he had ever seen. That was all he remembered about her. Where was she now?

He craned his neck and blinked in surprise as he saw an enormous black she-cat gazing back down at him. She looked hauntingly just like Mother- and for a split heartbeat he believed it was really her- but it wasn't; alas, her emerald eyes were just a few shades darker. And, despite the dim light, he knew it wasn't her. This she-cat's smell was completely different from Mother's. It was more plain, just sweet and milky. Mother's scent that clung to her day and night was more complex: musky, like the pine forest. Naturally calming, at least to her kits. And like rabbits. Delicious, juicy, fatty rabbits. Just one more taste of that meat, with Mother there, and Nal next to him, whining about when it would be his turn to take a bite...

"You've woken up," the she-cat above him murmured. Again her thick tail swept over him, and he winced as though her tail was a branch pulled from a rose bush. "You're a heavy sleepy," she marked in addition. "So is your brother. He hasn't even roused yet."

_Your brother. _He hadn't even been paying attention to anything else she was saying until she said that. His small head swung back and forth until his eyes snagged another black pelt. He felt a pang, but this time one of relief. Finally he would know someone in this awfully strange place! He pounced forward, quickly awakening the dark-furred kit.

There was a hiss, and he felt a prick in his shoulder. He launched himself backwards, trying to prevent any more pain to his body. Pain. He despised it. The worst pain he ever felt was when there had been a thorn in his pad, but Mother, being the expert at everything, pulled it out quickly. End of the pain. But this pain persisted, throbbing a bit. He tried to twist to see his shoulder, but his short neck couldn't stretch far enough for him to see. Huffing in frustration, he watched in confusion as the big she-cat scolded his brother. He was about to go up and confront her, despite the pain his brother had given him- it wasn't like his brother to do this, after all, maybe he was just tired still- when he noticed this black kit was different. His coat was more mottled, having a swirl of dark brown in his fur, making him not completely stark black like Mother, Nal, and this she-cat.

"He is your _brother_ now, Scarkit, and if I see you hurt him or his sibling again, you will be punished," the she-cat growled in warning to her apparent offspring.

He stumbled, turning away from them as he desperately scouted out for his brother in this enormous nest. He had to be here somewhere... there!

He ran as fast as he could on his chubby legs to get to the rising and falling black pelt. Then he threw himself on top of the fur, breathing in Nal's familiar scent. Someone here, someone he knew... now all he had left was Mother to find, and they could get out of here. "Get up, Nal!" he squeaked. "We need to find Mother and leave this..." His big eyes rolled all around the burrow one more time. "... place."

Right away his brother was up and ready for adventure. "Mother?" He looked at the unfamiliar she-cat starting to nudge two other bundles besides the mean "Scarkit"- whatever kind of name was that? "Isn't that- oh," he mumbled, realizing the darker tone of green glimmering in the female cat's gaze.

"I'm right here," the black she-cat purred, her pricked ears apparently picking up every syllable of their hushed conversation. She flicked her tail, and stiffly the brothers stalked over to her, exchanging glances with her kits: there were two more of them along with Scarkit, a tortoiseshell she-kit and a dark brown tom with a white-spotted chest. By the time all five cats were listening to her, she was gaping. "Wow. Same exact eyes. Same exact fur. It will be difficult to tell the two of you apart," she laughed gently.

Furu, always being the more talkative of the two, stood up and shook his head politely. "I'm sorry, but you won't have to worry about that. We'll be leaving as soon as we can find our mother."

Again the she-cat smiled. "I'm right here," she repeated, seeming very patient with them, unlike how short-tempered she had been when dealing with Scarkit. "I'm your mother now."

"No," Furu disagreed, this time less politely. "I'm pretty sure you're not. Mother... s- she had lighter green eyes than you. Much lighter. And she... she smelled different."

The she-cat bowed her head, this time seeming forlorn. "I apologize, little one. But... I am your new mother now. The mother you know left you in Clan territory. We took you in and I decided to adopt you along with my kits since you are both about one moon old. I know this will be difficult for you to understand, but you are both of ShadowClan now."

"ShadowClan?" mewed Nal quietly. Furu was just as puzzled as his brother. First Scarkit, then ShadowClan... what was with these cats and weird names? And why had Mother abandoned them? Surely this was just a nightmare?

"This group of cats is called ShadowClan. There are also three other Clans that live here. But you can learn all that later. For now, it's important that we get names settled, so there won't be confusion. How about-"

Furu interrupted her. "We already have names, thanks. I'm Furu and this is Nal," he squeaked, flicking his tail at his littermate.

"Ah," the she-cat grinned. "And lovely names they are. But to be part of ShadowClan, you need to have names like me: Ebonypelt. Or your new siblings, Scarkit, Ivykit, and Owlkit." She pointed to each kit with her tail as she named them. Ivykit was the tortoiseshell and Owlkit the brown tom.

"Okay, whatever," Furu muttered, planning to escape the moment he could. Probably tonight, he decided, sneaking a glance at the exit to the burrow. Daylight streamed inside now, brighter than ever, gradually consuming the dimness that had swallowed the space earlier.

"I suppose I could choose your names," Ebonypelt meowed thoughtfully. "Or would you like to?"

"Just choose them for us," Furu answered, barely listening.

Ebonypelt dipped her head. She met one yellow gaze, and then another. "You," she said, looking directly at Furu. "You will be Pinekit."

Furu blinked. "Why the _-kit_? Why not just Pine?"

"This is the Clan way, and it has been for countless generations," Ebonypelt retorted. She dipped her head at Nal. "You shall be Needlekit."

Nal shuddered. "Aren't needles those pointy things on the ground?"

"Only pointy on the ends," Ebonypelt responded. "Softer than moss when you walk on top of them."

Nal, now Needlekit, arched his brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ebonypelt only chuckled and curled her tail around Pinekit and Needlekit, smiling widely. _Smiling seems to be a disease everyone has here, _Pinekit thought bitterly as he also noticed Scarkit, Ivykit, and Owlkit showing off their teeth somewhat forcibly.

"You're safe with us now," Ebonypelt whispered, cuddling the kits close to her. Pinekit couldn't resist squirming. He didn't like the tone in her voice. _Protective. Even more than Mother. Besides, Mother wasn't that protective if she left us open to predators... _

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**I hope you liked it! I will try to update as much as I can, but keep in mind that I will be traveling again soon and won't be active during that time.**

**-Mossy**


	3. Moon 1 - Needle

**Thanks for five total reviews! I hope you guys like this chapter.**

**-Mossy**

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_Chapter Two - POV - _**N**_e_ed**l**_e - Moon 1_

_Needlekit didn't like to play. Specifically, _he didn't like to play-fight. Why have violence when difficulties can simply be solved with an exchange of words?

He observed Scarkit, Ivykit, and Owlkit 'play-fight' from a safe distance. It was disgusting, truthfully. Scuffling around for nothing, wasting your breath pummeling your sibling for no reason. There hadn't been a disagreement of any kind, and this was far from training to battle for real, so again, why? What was the point?

"He should've gone for her belly," Pinekit mewed from his place next to his brother. They watched as Owlkit failed again to smack his flailing paw on Ivykit's flattened ears. "It was wide open while she was focused on Scarkit."

Needlekit wrinkled his nose. _Scarkit. _What kind of name was that? The kit had nary a scratch on his entire body. Maybe something was hidden beneath that coating of night-colored fur? But then again, what kind of scars could Scarkit have possibly obtained in his one moon of life? Perhaps Ebonypelt had named him Scarkit in the hopes he would become scarred in no time. Seemed ill-minded.

"Kits!" Ebonypelt called, emerging from the old burrow they called the nursery. "Time to eat."

"Finally!" Pinekit practically yowled. "I'm so starving I could eat three rabbits!"

Owlkit and Ivykit filed into the dim den without any words on their tongues. However, Scarkit halted in the entrance, blocking Pinekit and Needlekit. "Rabbits?" the small tom growled. "Gross. Haven't you ever heard of milk?"

Pinekit blinked. "Uh, yeah. We were all young once. Our mother let us try rabbit, though. Didn't yours?"

"Obviously not," Scarkit said, lifting his perfectly-triangular nose in the air. "Then we wouldn't be talking about this."

_Not as much of a dimwit as I thought, _Needlekit mused, barely listening to the conversation as he went on in his mind. _Scarkit really should smooth down that tuft of fur sticking up on his head. It's quite a nuisance to his appearance. And to me, for that matter. _

His brother and Scarkit resumed the argument until Ebonypelt poked her head out of the hole, nudging aside Scarkit. "What are you waiting for? Come down here now."

The trio of toms slowly trailed the queen into the nursery. Inside, they found Ebonypelt already curled in her nest, Ivykit and Owlkit suckling. Scarkit joined them without a second thought. Pinekit and Needlekit hesitated.

"Go on," Ebonypelt urged. "There's room for two more."

Pinekit and Needlekit glanced at each other. "No way," Pinekit proclaimed, glancing back at her. "We only drink our blood mother's milk."

Needlekit stood there stiff, watching as Ebonypelt sighed. "You two need to eat."

"We're not drinking your milk," Pinekit retorted.

Ebonypelt frowned. "Then I guess you'll starve," she meowed bluntly.

"Ebonypelt!" a brown-gray she-cat yelled, shocked, from her nest across the den. Two gray she-kits sat in front of her, wide-eyed. "What a thing to say."

"Sorry, Appletail," Ebonypelt muttered. "But they will learn the hard way if they don't-"

Just then, Needlekit launched himself into the nest and started suckling next to Ivykit. Quickly his belly was filled, and he backed away, licking his lips.

Pinekit just gazed at him, jaw dropped. "Wha- why-" his brother started, but Needlekit cut in and muttered, "Just drink it."

Unhurriedly, his brother clomped over to the others and began to drink. He didn't stop until the other three were finished. Then he stepped back, turned to Needlekit, and smiled, white droplets decorating his chin.

**o3o**

Night settled in quickly. Their first night here. And their last, Pinekit seemed sure of it. Needlekit was hunched over quietly as his brother spilled their escape plan.

"... then we sneak out through their dirtplace. Foolproof, huh?" Pinekit beamed, apparently proud of this.

Needlekit narrowed his eyes. "But what if we don't leave?"

Pinekit was incredulous. "Huh? Of course we're gonna leave! We're gonna travel around and find Mother again."

"What if we don't find her? And we get stuck out in the wilderness with no one to protect us?" Needlekit wondered aloud.

His sibling didn't answer. "Fine. Then we stay," Pinekit said bitterly. "Have it your way."

"You don't have to stay just because I am," Needlekit replied. "You can go if you want to go."

"No, we stick together," Pinekit insisted. "How could we ever be separate?"

One pair of yellow eyes met another. Then, as one, the two settled to sleep after reentering the nursery.

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**It will get more exciting, but I wrote this chapter in a way to show the brothers' differences. Pinekit is more rambunctious and talkative, while Needlekit is quiet and shy.**

**-Mossy**


	4. Moon 2 - Pine

**Thanks for getting me to 12 reviews, guys!**

**I know last chapter was super-short, but I promise it will be longer (and I hope better) this time. **

**Know that I read all your reviews and appreciate each one. If you're confused by something, just ask and I'll respond.**

**Also, I will try my best to follow a new schedule from now on, meaning this will be updated every Wednesday. However, since next Wednesday, 11/12, I will be on vacation, so I doubt I will be able to write then. So expect the next update for this to be on 11/19!**

**-Mossy**

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_Chapter Three - POV - _**P**_i_ne _- Moon 2_

Pinekit decided to take the time to meet each and every warrior. After all, he and Needlekit had been here for a moon now, and knew barely five cats, give or take.

He approached a group of warriors sporting gray-flecked muzzles and frayed ear-tips from moons of battles. "Hey," Pinekit meowed loudly, in case they were hard of hearing. But they all noticed him, and turned toward him.

"Hello there," a tortoiseshell tom with large ginger patches licked his chips as he lifted his muzzle away from the frog he was consuming. Pinekit tried to avoid looking at the fresh-kill. He was still a rabbit fan.

A dark ginger she-cat with milky green eyes tilted her head and studied Pinekit. "Now, which brother are you?" she rasped. "I know the two new kits in Ebonypelt's litter are Pinekit and Needlekit, but apparently you two look the same."

Pinekit dipped his head. "We do," he consented. "Except for one thing. Can you guess which one I am?"

The last senior warrior, a black tom with white strands of fur all over his body, chuckled. "How can we guess which one you are if we don't know the thing that distinguishes you from your sibling?"

"Wait, hold on, Spikeclaw," the ginger she-cat interrupted. "Before we start the guessing game, let's introduce ourselves. She swung her large head to face Pinekit. "I'm Russetshine, little one," she mewed gently. "My parents said I was named after a great ShadowClan deputy, Russetfur, who was killed in battle."

"By a ThunderClan warrior, no less," the tortoiseshell tom growled. He softened his expression when he glanced at Pinekit, though. "Never mind that. I'm her brother, Flamedapple. I was named after a ShadowClan medicine cat, Flametail, who drowned. Funny thing is, a ThunderClan cat dove into the freezing lake to save him, but came back up empty-pawed, I was told."

Spikeclaw introduced himself as well, but Pinekit was hardly listening. Now he was intrigued by this ThunderClan. He politely waited until Spikeclaw was finished with his spiel, then chirped, "Cool. But, um, can I hear more about ThunderClan? They sound like bad cats."

Flamedapple opened his mouth to speak, but Russetshine stopped him. "That's just how he perceives them," she assured Pinekit, lashing her tail at her littermate. "ThunderClan borders us to the left, in a more open forest. And they don't have pine trees. Who knows how they live like that," she _mrrowed_.

"Right now their leader is Squirrelstar, who is the daughter of Firestar. He was very famous for many things, mostly a boring list," Spikeclaw went on, rolling his eyes.

Pinekit's whiskers quivered in amusement. "Do you have... battles with ThunderClan?" He had heard about fighting before, and was immediately fascinated by it. The only flesh he had ever buried his talons into was that of a rabbit; but the flesh of his own kind? Interesting.

"Not for a while," Russetshine said, eyeing him in what Pinekit took as alarm. He scoffed inwardly at this; _how can she possibly expect a kit like me to be thirsty for blood? Though the idea of showing an adversary my claws is quite appealing. _

"Anyway," Flamedapple cut in swiftly, finishing off his frog and nudging away the remains, a few scraps of thin chartreuse skin. "We were guessing if you're Pinekit or Needlekit."

Russetshine inclined her head, slurping up some meat from a vole. When she had swallowed, she nodded and said. "I don't know what distinguishes you two, but my guess is you're Needlekit."

"Needlekit?" Pinekit exclaimed, almost incredulously. He stopped himself, however, as the three older warriors were blinking at him. "I- I mean... good guess. S- Spikeclaw?"

Spikeclaw also said Needlekit. Pinekit's agitation blossomed. _Do they know my brother? Aren't we, like, polar opposites? Or are we just the same, one the shadow of the other? _He ground the earth at his paws into a fine dust. _And if so, which one is the shadow? _

Flamedapple sighed, staring at Pinekit, deep in thought. The tom's green eyes made Pinekit feel uncomfortable, and the ebony kit edged away a tad. Finally the tortoiseshell warrior settled with Needlekit as well. "I don't mean to copy their guesses," he mewed. "But, well, it's pretty obvious."

Now Pinekit was downright angry. Unbeknownst to him, only his paranoid thoughts had made him furious, not the warriors' innocent guesses, of course. In a low growl, Pinekit announced his true identity and then slithered away, dark clouds over him as the senior warriors gazed after him, feeling a bit bad.

**o3o**

"Have you, by any chance, been acting a lot like me lately?" Pinekit inquired his brother casually later that day, as they watched the bloody sunset fade to indigo through the dense treetops.

Needlekit shook his head. "What would 'acting like you' mean anyway?"

"I dunno," Pinekit sighed, resorting to gnawing at his claws, which were still caked with earth after his earlier fiasco. "It's just that today three warriors guessed I was you. I mean, are we just gonna live our whole lives the same cat? We look the same, but surely there is something that separates us?" _Because when I said there was something that makes us different... I was lying. _

"All I know is," Needlekit proclaimed as he rose to his full height, the exact same as Pinekit's, "that I'm not going to spend my life cowering in your shadow." He made to go in the nursery, but Pinekit stopped him.

"Even if we do drift apart someday," the black tom murmured, dawn-sky-colored eyes wide, "promise me that won't drive a nasty wedge between us." He moved closer to Needlekit and added in a whisper, "Brothers until death do us part."

Needlekit stared at him, and for a heartbeat Pinekit believed there was a spark of amusement in his littermate's eyes. But then Needlekit, with a single curt nod, whirled back around and blended into the nursery's dark interior, yellow optics hidden once more.

**o3o**

"The Gathering's tonight!" Pinekit heard one of the always overexcited apprentices, Blizzardpaw, gush a few sunsets later. _How can you tell? I can barely see through this cursed trees. _But following a few moments of vigorous searching, Pinekit managed to spot the full moon. He glanced back down, wishing fiercely he could attend. He was significantly more mature than most of the apprentices- meaning Blizzardpaw- not to mention how anxious he was to meet a fellow rank of his, but in ThunderClan. Even WindClan or RiverClan would do; all Pinekit knew was that he was sick of seeing ShadowClan all around him constantly.

But no. Tawnystar, the knobby-legged, so-old-she-was-almost-crumbling-into-dust leader, hobbled onto the meeting ledge and enunciated the name of each cat who was going; each name brought another annoying weight onto Pinekit's shoulders. Blizzardpaw's squeal when she heard she was going to be a member of the Gathering audience nearly made his ears bleed and then burst into flame. As scattered as Pinekit's thoughts were that night, one subject kept returning to him, prodding his brain: _ThunderClan. ThunderClan. ThunderClan. _

Pinekit was curled, enveloped in shadow, as he named each Clanmate who walked past him, departing to go to that wretched meeting. _Tawnystar... Hummingbird... Mistcloud... Volepaw... Spikeclaw... Twigpelt... Speckfall... Fleetwhisker... Chillgaze... Hivefur... Archstripe... and Blizzardpaw. _

Once the aggravating pasty-furred apprentice had exited, Pinekit prided himself with a gloating smile on how he could now name every cat in the Clan. It had just taken some time well spent, closed in, in the shadows, observing his Clanmates and what they called each other. Of course, now that all these names crowded his mind, he needed to know more. Learn how many he would... be allied with. ShadowClan wasn't having troubles with another Clan at the moment, surely?

He supposed he'd find out.

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter! The first few paragraphs I had already written a while ago, so it was easier to do XD**

**I had an idea yesterday, where I would create one-shots based on the lives of each cat who inspired a code in the warrior code. Tell me what you think, and thanks for reading! (If you guys like the warrior code one-shot idea, it would replace ASLNO.)**

**-Mossy**


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